Panther Hollow: Sunseri Discreetly Disses Ex-Coach

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 29: Tino Sunseri #12 of the Pittsburgh Panthers passes the ball against the South Florida Bulls during the game on September 29, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — When asked to compare Todd Graham’s offense to the schemes implemented by Paul Chryst, senior quarterback Tino Sunseri did not necessarily take the low road on “high octane.”

After Tuesday’s practice on the South Side, Sunseri, entering his third consecutive year as a starter for the Panthers, praised the new head coach and his M.O. while subliminally shooting down his infamous predecessor.

“It’s [going] from a high school offense to a pro-style college offense. Last year, there wasn’t a lot of plays, wasn’t a lot of different formations, wasn’t a lot of different motions,” he said. “This offense is coming from making sure you can understand shifts and motions, and understand converting different routes versus different coverages.”

Sunseri has clearly embraced that change, as evidenced by his other less-than-veiled shot at Graham:

“I feel like Coach Chryst has done a great job going to work. He’s not here to do shows, he’s not here for signs, he’s not here to make people laugh and giggle. He’s here to win football games,” he added.

“I feel like that’s our approach too. We want to go out in the field, be able to execute, make sure we’re playing hard and fast, and make sure the tape shows it.”

His struggles fitting into Graham’s system were much publicized in 2011, as Pitt consistently performed below the national average in every major offensive category, despite his throwing for over 2,600 yards and earning a passer efficiency rating of 124 for the season. He threw just ten TD’s against 11 picks.